Arsenal’s season is circling the drain. 11 matches in and they sit 15th in the table and they deserve to be there. They are closer to the relegation zone than the top four. They need to start winning immediately or their preseason objectives will be out of reach before Christmas.
Burnley is in a similarly bad position. They sit in the relegation zone, though they do have a game in had on the teams around them. They have one win in 10 games and have scored a mere five goals. They need to turn things around quickly before they become muddled in the relegation race.
Team News
Arsenal’s revival attempts will be hampered by missing a significant number of players. Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey, Sead Kolasinac, David Luiz and Reiss Nelson are expected to miss out through injury, according to PremierInjuries.com. Nicolas Pepe will also be absent through a red card suspension.
Burnley have their own injury issues to deal with. Their squad is limited with Dale Stephens, Phil Bardsley, Johann Gudmundsson and Jack Cork are all expected to miss out for the Clarets, according to PremierInjuries.com.
Key Players
Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal’s inability to score goals has been their biggest issue this season. No one has embodied that issue more than Aubameyang. He hasn’t scored from open play since the opening weekend and hasn’t been able to get off many shots. His shots per 90 have dropped from 2.58 last season to 1.73 in 20/21. His inability to get going has been one of the reasons Arsenal have failed to reach their expectations.
Burnley: Chris Wood
Burnley’s strikers have also struggled to get going, specifically Chris Wood. He’s scored two of the Clarets five goals, but he’d really want more than two goals after 10 matches. Wood did manage three shots against both Crystal Palace and Everton, so hopefully, that is a sign that he is back on track.
Prediction
As bad as Arsenal have been this season Burnley has been worse and the Gunners are at home. With that in mind Arsenal should be able to get a win here to start their push up the table.
Prediction: 2-1 Arsenal